Currently digital copiers and digital multi-function printing devices have control panels and displays designed to support multiple functionalities. An example of a conventional digital multi-function printing device having a control panel and/or display supporting multiple functionalities is illustrated in FIG. 1.
FIG. 1 illustrates an overall construction of a digital multi-function printing device. The digital multi-function printing device, as illustrated in FIG. 1, includes a scanning station 35, a printing station 55, and a user interface 50. The digital multi-function printing device may also include a finisher device 45 that may be a sorter, tower mailbox, stapler, etc. The printing station 55 may include a plurality of paper trays 40 that store the paper used in the printing process. Lastly, the digital multi-function printing device may include a high capacity feeder 30 that is capable of holding large amounts of paper stock to be used by the machine.
In a typical scanning function, the operator would utilize the scanning station 30 to scan in the images from the original documents. This scanning station 30 may be a platen type scanner or may include a constant velocity transport system that moves the original documents across a stationary scanning device. Moreover, the scanning station 30 may also include a document handling system that is capable of placing the original documents, automatically, on the glass platen for scanning.
With respect to the printing functions, the printing station 55 would retrieve the proper paper from one of the multiple paper trays or the high capacity feeder, render the desired image on the retrieved paper, and output the printed image to the finishing device 45 for further operations. The user interface 50 allows the user to control the various functions of the digital multi-function printing device by presenting various types of screens to the user that provides the user an opportunity to program certain job characteristics or function characteristics.
An example of a basic conventional architecture of a digital multi-function printing device is illustrated in FIG. 2. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the architecture of the digital multi-function printing device includes a scanner 3 that converts an original image into a set of digital signals that can be either stored or reproduced. The scanner 3 is connected to a central bus system 1 which may be either a single bus or a plurality of buses that provide interconnections and intercommunications between the various modules and devices on a digital multi-function printing device.
The digital multi-function printing device, as illustrated in FIG. 2, further includes a digital printing device 23 which converts digital signals representing an image into a hardcopy of that image on a recording medium whether the recording medium is paper, transparency, or other type of markable medium. The digital multi-function machine also includes a memory 21 for storing a variety of types of digital information such as machine fault information, machine history information, digital images to be processed at a later time, instruction sets for the machine, job instruction sets, etc.
In addition to the memory 21, a conventional digital multi-function printing device includes an electronic pre-collation memory 7 that may store the digital representation of the image being presently rendered by the digital printing device 23. In the electronic pre-collation memory 7, the digital image is already laid out in its page structure so that it can be readily rendered by the digital printing device 23.
The digital multi-function printing device as illustrated in FIG. 2, further includes a user interface 5 which allows the user to select the various functions of the multi-function device, program various job attributes for the particularly selected function, provide other input to the multi-function device as well as display informational data from the digital multi-function printing device.
If the digital multi-function printing device were connected to a network, the digital multi-function printing device would include a network interface 19 and an electronic subsystem controller 9 that would control the interrelationship between the various modules or devices on the digital multi-function printing device and the network.
To enable a facsimile function, a digital multi-function printing device could include, typically, a voice/data modem 11 and a telephone circuit board 13. Moreover, the digital multi-function printing device may include input/output drives 17 such as a floppy disc drive, a CD ROM drive, a tape drive, or other type of drive that can accept a portable memory device.
In some digital multi-function printing devices, the device also includes a finisher 29 which can perform certain operations upon the printed output from the printing device 23. Lastly, the digital multi-function printing device includes a controller 15 that controls all the functions within the multi-function device so as to coordinate all the interactions between the various modules and devices.
A user interface is an interactive electronic display which may have multiple levels on a screen, multiple screens, or a combination thereof. The user of such an interface user can navigate the user interface to select the desired user-programmable features or attributes. More specifically, the user may encounter a main copying screen and navigational buttons to get to other screens or layered screens so as to program different features or attributes associated with those navigational buttons.
For example, a main copying screen may have a navigational button associated with the feature of reduction/enlargement. By activating this navigational button, the user interface would display a screen that has a plurality of reduction/enlargement activatable buttons as well as other programmable areas that allow the user to program a variety of reduction/enlargement values.
FIG. 3 illustrates a conventional user interface that utilizes multiple screens and multiple layers of an interactive electronic display user interface, but which has a main copying screen from which a user can readily program a few desired commonly used features without requiring a user to navigate through a plurality of screens.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the basic copy function screen 50 includes a message area 510, a navigational area 520, and a programmable area 530. In the message area 510, the digital copier will display various messages for the user informing the user of either the status of the machine or assists the user in programming a particular job.
In the navigational area 520, the user may select any of the activatable tabs 521 in order to bring the features associated with that tab forward onto the screen and allowing the present features to fall behind the activated or engaged tab.
Moreover, the navigational area 520 includes navigational buttons 522 which allow the user to navigate to other various screens for carrying out other functions with respect to the reprographic system such as maintenance functions, key operator programming functions, supervisory functions, or diagnostic functions, etc.
Lastly, the programmable area 530 of screen 50 includes a plurality of activatable areas wherein each activatable area is associated with a certain value, function, or linked screen.
For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, activatable area 531 is associated with the preset reduction/enlargement value of 100%. On the other hand, activatable area 532 of FIG. 3 is associated with a linked screen. Thus, upon engagement or activation of the activatable area 532, the screen will be replaced with another screen.
Other activatable areas on the basic copy function screen 50 of FIG. 3 include reduction/enlargement preset activatable areas 533 and 534 that correspond to the preset reduction value 64% and 78%, respectively. Another activatable area with respect to reduction/enlargement on the basic copy function screen 50 is the activatable area 535 which corresponds to an auto-function in that when it is selected or engaged, the reprographic system will automatically size the scanned in image to fit properly upon the output recording medium.
Lastly, activatable areas 536 correspond to enabling a user to select the plex relationship between the plex of the input document and the plex of the output document. The plex may be simplex (one-sided), or the plex may be duplex (two-sided).
For example, if the input document was simplex (one-sided) and the user desired that the document be reproduced as a duplex (two-sided) document, the user would engage the “1→2 Sided” activatable area 536.
On the other hand, if the input document was duplex (two-sided) and the user desired that the document be reproduced as a simplex (one-sided) document, the user would engage the “2→1 Sided” activatable area 536.
However, although the conventional user interface provides many choices for selecting the plex relationship, the conventional user interface does not provide all the possible plex relationships.
Thus, it is desirable to provide a system that enables the user to select all the possible plex relationships.
Moreover, it is desirable to provide a system it is desirable to provide a system that enables the user to select all the possible plex relationships without overwhelming the user interface with too many choices.